PRIME MINISTER

Arcturus House

Anthony Steen: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Arcturus House in Totnes.

Tony Blair: I have no current plans to do so.

Departmental Hospitality

David Lidington: To ask the Prime Minister how much was spent on food by his office in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: Expenditure on food in the Prime Minister's Office is limited to official entertainment. For the total cost to my office for all official entertainment at 10 Downing Street and Chequers, I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 28 February 2002, Official Report, columns 1444–48W, and the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 27 January 2003, Official Report, column 564W. Information on the total cost for 2002–03 is not yet available.
	Information on the proportion of food by value produced in the UK is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has provided guidance for Government Departments and their agencies on local sourcing and how to remove obstacles to tendering faced by local and UK suppliers. The Government has a policy of achieving value for money in public procurement and ensuring that under European Commission rules, public procurement is fair, transparent and non-discriminatory.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 18 September, Official Report, column 870W, on Iraq, whether the (a) chairman and (b) members of the (i) Intelligence and Security Committee, (ii) Defence and (iii) Foreign Affairs Select Committees were invited to comment on the content of the Iraq dossier before it was published.

Tony Blair: As I said in my reply to my hon. Friend on 18 September, all three chairmen were briefed on the content of the Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction dossier by the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee on 19 September 2002, shortly before it was published.
	In addition, I invited Ann Taylor to see it in advance of the briefing to the whole Intelligence and Security Committee and to pass comment if she wished.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about the advice which he received before the conflict on the impact of a military offensive against Iraq on the incidence of terrorism.

Tony Blair: The assessment I received was that the greatest terrorist threat to Western interests came from al-Qaeda and related groups, and that this threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq. This assessment informed the Ministry of Defence's planning for military action, as well as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's consular planning and in the published Travel Advice.
	When I took the decision that military action would be required to ensure that Iraq complied with United Nations Security Council Resolutions, I had to weigh all the factors, including the possible short term risk of increased terrorism, against the longer term risks of rogue states developing weapons of mass destruction.

Syria

Frank Dobson: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment the Government have made of whether Syria (a) possesses and (b) is developing weapons of mass destruction.

Tony Blair: The Government are concerned by persistent reports that Syria is pursuing a programme for the development of weapons of mass destruction and believes that the best way to pursue those concerns is in a frank and critical dialogue with the Syrian Government.
	We regularly urge all states to sign and ratify all the treaties and conventions covering the development of such weapons.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Patented Medicines

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the implementation of the World Trade Organisation's agreement on TRIPS and public health.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The agreement reached at the WTO will enable poor countries with no, or insufficient pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to import copies of patented medicines. The agreement is a very significant step which should help to reduce the price in poor countries of patented medicines that come onto the market after 2005.

Sierra Leone

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to visit Freetown in 2003 to discuss progress on the Department's aid programmes in Sierra Leone.

Hilary Benn: Due to commitments arising from my new responsibilities, I have, with regret, had to postpone a visit to Sierra Leone planned for November. I remain closely in touch with developments in Sierra Leone and the progress on our substantial programme there, and discussed the progress being made with President Kabbah when he visited the UK in July.

Iraq

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's contribution to the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq.

Hilary Benn: In my Written Statement to the House yesterday, I announced a total UK commitment towards Iraq's reconstruction of £544 million for the three years from April 2003, including our share of proposed European Community spending. £296 million of this commitment will be for the period from now until March 2006. It will not result in any reduction in DFID's planned expenditure for low income countries.

Iraq

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq.

Hilary Benn: In my written statement to the House yesterday, I announced a total UK commitment towards Iraq's reconstruction of £544 million for the three years from April 2003, including our share of proposed European Community spending. £296 million of this commitment will be for the period from now until March 2006. It will not result in any reduction in DFID's planned expenditure for low income countries.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's support for projects in Iraq.

Hilary Benn: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement I made yesterday, 14 October 2003, Official Report, column 9WS and the documents I placed in the Library after my Ministerial Statement of 3 July. The latest information on DFID's work in Iraq can also be found on our website at www.dfid.gov.uk.

India

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on British aid programmes in India.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID provided £161 million of bilateral development assistance to India in 2002–03. In the New Delhi Declaration of January 2002 the Prime Minister looked forward to expenditure of over £300 million. We are making progress towards this budget and expect to be able to disburse some £200 million in 2003–04.
	Our programme helps government deliver pro-poor policies and services. We are working closely with four focus states committed to poverty reduction, including on their programmes of fiscal and public sector reform, increasing access to basic health, education, and urban services for the poor and empowerment of the marginalised. We also support the efforts of the Union Government and civil society in these areas nationwide.
	Our priorities for this year are to:
	agree, in consultation with Government of India, a new Country Assistance Plan, confirming the strategic partnership and outlining DFID's programme of support to the 10th National Development Plan;
	help focus state governments develop social sector investment plans and innovative approaches to livelihoods and empowerment for poor people and women;
	help improve governance, especially through public sector reform, civil service reform, increased access to justice, and anti-corruption initiatives;
	further strengthen our links with key multilateral partners.

Global Fund (AIDS, TB and Malaria)

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent contributions his Department has made to the global fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Since the Global Fund (GFATM) was set up in 2001 the UK has committed US$200 million. The UK has recently pledged a further US$80 million, extending our current commitment to a total of US$280 million up to 2008.

Afghanistan

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what measures are in place to reduce the production of heroin in Afghanistan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Afghan Transitional Administration have produced the Afghan National Drug Control Strategy and the UK Government are working in support of that strategy. The UK has committed to provide £70 million over the next three years to target opium poppy cultivation and heroin production. This funding will be used for law enforcement, alternative livelihoods, institution building and research. DFID are providing funding for a range of alternative livelihoods activities designed to provide those involved in opium poppy cultivation with other ways of earning a living.

World Trade Organisation (Cancun)

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the impact on developing countries of the outcome of the fifth ministerial round of the World Trade Organisation meeting at Cancun.

Hilary Benn: The failure of the WTO ministerial talks in Cancun was a setback for the Doha Development Agenda and a blow to developing and developed countries alike. I believe that this failure will disadvantage the world's poorest countries most. Developing countries stand to get a better deal through multilateral negotiations in the WTO—where developing countries make up two thirds of the membership—than through a multitude of regional and bilateral agreements with bigger economic players.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Arts Council

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the membership of the Steering Group for the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's research project on the Arts of Irish and Ulster-Scots includes equal representation from both cultural communities.

Angela Smith: In setting up the Steering Group the Arts Council of Northern Ireland invited nominations from Foras na Gaeilge, Iontaobhas Ultach/Ultach Trust and Tha Boord o Ulster Scotch. These are the bodies partnering with the Arts Council in funding the research. A nomination was also invited from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure as the Arts Council's sponsoring Department.
	The Steering Group consists of seven members: three nominees of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and one nominee from each of the above organisations. The single criterion for appointing members of the Steering Group was status as a funding partner. In this context, ensuring numerically equal representation from both cultural communities has not been a consideration for the Arts Council.

Cross-departmental Policies

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what cross-departmental policies are in place to tackle (a) sex and (b) racial inequality in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave on 9 September 2003, Official Report, column 298W.

Pre-school Education

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Pre-school Education Advisory Group places have been allocated to each nursery school and playgroup in Newtownards for 2003–04, broken down by electoral ward pupils live in who have been allocated a Pre-school Education Advisory Group place.

Jane Kennedy: I understand from the Chief Executive of the South Eastern Education & Library Board that the playgroups in Newtownards have received the following allocations of PEAG places for 2003–04.
	
		
			 Ward Provider Places allocated 2003–04 
		
		
			 Glen Bees Nees Early Years Centre 18 
			 Loughries/ Carrowdore Chuckles Playgroup 19 
			 Scrabo Little Doves Community Playgroup 15 
			 Movilla Movilla Abbey Playgroup 26 
			 Movilla Play-a-Way Childcare Centre 20 
			 Central Ards St. Finian's Playgroup 18 
			 Scrabo/Loughries The Playcentre at Manor Court 24 
			 Total  140 
		
	
	The final enrolment in voluntary and private sector pre-school centres is still subject to changes as allocated places are sometimes not taken up and have to be reallocated. I will write to the hon. Member once the information on final allocations is available. Details of the electoral wards in which the children live are not currently available but will be collected and included in my reply when the information on final allocations is available.
	Only voluntary and private sector pre-school centres are eligible for PEAG places. Statutory nursery schools and units have a standard complement of 26 pupils per class. The four statutory settings have the following capacities:
	
		
			 School name Total capacity 
		
		
			 Abbey Primary School 52 
			 Glenbrook Nursery School 78 
			 Newtownards Nursery School 78 
			 West Winds Primary School 26 
			 Total 234

TRANSPORT

Grosvenor Square (Street Closure)

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what application he made for a street closure order in relation to the event at Grosvenor Square on 11 September 2003; and for what period the street closure was requested.

Tony McNulty: None. I understand that the road closure was made under Metropolitan Police powers.

Cycling Safety

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to promote the wearing of helmets by cyclists;
	(2)  what representations he has received about making the wearing of helmets by cyclists compulsory; if he will make it his policy to introduce such legislation; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the benefits of cyclists wearing helmets; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: We have a large body of material on cycle safety aimed at younger children promoting the use of cycle helmets as well as other cycle safety messages. We have also developed a Cycle Sense campaign, aimed at teenagers, that was launched on 21 May this year. The campaign encourages teenagers to wear cycle helmets and consists of posters and a new cycle sense website.
	A study commissioned by the Department to look into the effectiveness of cycle helmets, published in November last year, found that overall, the evidence suggests that cycle helmets are effective at reducing the severity of brain and upper facial injuries for all ages, and especially children. This reinforces our view that helmets should be worn by children.
	We have had correspondence from members of the public asking for helmets to be made compulsory, as well as The Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust and Headway, the brain injury association.
	When considering compulsion, we have to take wearing rates into consideration. A survey undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory measuring wearing rate in 2002 found that the rate for all cyclists on built-up major roads was 25 per cent. The wearing rate is continuing to increase, but at this level, making helmets compulsory could cause enforcement difficulties, and without greater public acceptance, could have an effect on levels of cycling. We will continue to monitor wearing rates and review the option of compulsory wearing from time to time.

Cycling Safety

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the benefits of wearing a bicycle helmet for the prevention of injuries;
	(2)  what plans he has to introduce legislation enforcing the wearing of bicycle helmets for those under 16; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: A study commissioned by the Department to look into the effectiveness of cycle helmets, published in November last year, found that overall, the evidence suggests that cycle helmets are effective at reducing the severity of brain and upper facial injuries for all ages, and especially children. This reinforces our view that helmets should be worn by children.
	A survey undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory measuring wearing rates in 2002 found that the rate for all cyclists on built-up major roads was 25 per cent. The wearing rate is continuing to increase, with the exception of boys under 16, where the rate has reduced from 16 per cent. in 1994 to 12 per cent. in 2002. At these levels, making helmets compulsory would cause enforcement difficulties, and without greater public acceptance, could have an effect on levels of cycling. We are making special efforts to persuade adolescents, and especially boys, to wear helmets. We will continue to monitor wearing rates by all ages and review the option of compulsory wearing from time to time.

Rail Services (Merseyside)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the stations in Merseyside (a) which will receive improvements through the Strategic Rail Authority's MFAS programme and (b) which are expecting improvements via the Local Transport Plan on the Merseytravel Passenger Transport Authority and Executive; and what the nature and cost of the improvements are.

Tony McNulty: Merseyside Stations which will receive improvements through the MFAS programme are: Aintree, Aughton Park, Bebington, Birkenhead Central, Bootle New Strand, Bootle Oriel Road, Bromborough, Formby, Freshfield, Green Lane, Hightown, Hillside, Hooton, Moreton, Old Roan, Orrell Park, Sandhills, Spital, Town Green, Waterloo and West Kirby. The improvements are now waiting rooms and Customer Information Systems (CIS) costing £7 million.
	At the moment, 40 of the 80 stations are fully accessible. Under the current LTP programme there are plans to upgrade up to 25 more stations, making them fully accessible to all wheelchair users and all other travellers. The plan is then to finish the remaining 15 in the next LTP round. The amount spent on each station depends on the work needed.

Road Deaths

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to his answer of 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 625W, on road deaths, if he will make a statement on (a) the progress in monitoring the experiments in the Netherlands to reduce road deaths and (b) his Department's work with United Kingdom local authorities.

David Jamieson: The new traffic arrangements at the various sites in north Holland were not, principally, introduced as casualty reduction schemes. The information that has been provided by the Dutch shows that casualty figures at all the revised sites are at the level of one or none per year. We are happy that, in the context that they are being used in Holland, these ideas do not result in increases in casualties.
	The Department for Transport is aware of two authorities in this country that have been considering applying some of the measures used in north Holland, but as redevelopment rather than accident reduction measures. From informal discussions with the authorities, it is understood they are now considering more familiar techniques such as 20 mph speed limit zones. We have not been approached by any authorities planning to remove traffic signals.

Strategic Rail Authority

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether additional funding will be made available to the Strategic Rail Authority to support any increase in funding for Network Rail determined by the Rail Regulator.

Tony McNulty: The Regulator is due to conclude his Interim Review of Network Rail's track access charges in December 2003. This, along with work that the SRA and my Department are doing on rail financing and output will be considered as part of the Spending Review, the outcome of which will be announced next year.

Transport Infrastructure (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money was spent improving the transport infrastructure in Crosby (a) since 1997 and (b) from 1992 to 1997.

Tony McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 11 September 2003, Official Report, column 374W.
	I understand Sefton Borough Council are in the process of compiling this information and will supply it to my hon. Friend as soon as it becomes available.

Walking

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action the Government are taking to promote the benefits of walking.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 14 October 2003, (PQ references 132357, 132358, 132359, 132360).

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Voice of the Women of Iraq Conference

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister for Women what follow-up action has taken place in the United Kingdom following the Voice of the Women of Iraq conference on 9 July.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 14 October 2003
	Since the Voice of Women of Iraq conference that I attended in July, the Government have seconded two gender experts to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad and Basra. They will take forward the work started in May by the secondee from my Women and Equality Unit, in supporting Iraqi women and to help determine a national policy for women. I continue to meet with a group of Iraqi women to listen to their concerns and experiences, as well as discuss ways to support Iraqi women during this critical phase. I have continued to stress the need to ensure substantial women's representation in all strands of the rapidly evolving political and reconstruction process at the highest level.

Voice of the Women of Iraq Conference

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make available the recommendations of the conference Voice of the Women of Iraq, which she attended on 9 July.

Patricia Hewitt: I will make the recommendations of the conference Voice of the Women of Iraq available in the Libraries of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Combined Heat and Power

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the benefits of excess combined heat and power being exported between company sites.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 14 October 2003
	The export of excess good quality combined heat and power between company sites provides benefits to security of supply, carbon emission savings and costs. In 2002, the export of CHP to companies within the same group and to other companies is estimated to have saved up to 1 million tonnes of carbon. The financial benefit provided by exemption from the climate change levy of power outputs for those good quality CHP exports was up to £15 million in 2002.

Pollution

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for pollution prevention and control permits were received by the Environment Agency in each year from 1996 to date; what the average time taken to determine applications was in each such year; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The following table gives the number of permit applications made to the Environment Agency since 2000 and the average time taken for them to be issued. No applications were received before that date because the Pollution Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000 ('the PPC Regulations') were not then in force.
	
		Permit applications made to the environment agency
		
			 Calendar year Number of applications received Number of permits issued Average time to determine permits issued in year(1) (months) 
		
		
			 2000 36 0 n/a 
			 2001 285 54 (2)6.4 
			 2002 167 166 10.3 
			 2003 183 141 12.5 
			 Total 671 361  
		
	
	(1) Total time from receipt until permit issue. No allowance has been made for periods waiting for further information required by Schedule 4 Notices.
	(2) The 2001 data is not representative because it shows only permits issued in 2001 when the regime was first introduced.
	There has been a slight increase to the average determination time in 2003. The process of PPC is complex, and applications have often lacked necessary information which can create substantial delays if further information is sought from the applicant. In such cases a notice is issued to the operator by the regulator and the determination of the application is effectively suspended until such time as further information is received.
	The Environment Agency is aiming to reduce delays to permitting; measures include centrally managed "Strategic Permitting Groups" that have been established to focus resources on the effective determination of applications, and the reviewing and simplifying of the regulatory tools that are used to determine applications.

Renewables

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contribution renewable energy made to energy consumption in England in the last year for which figures are available; and what the levels were in other EU countries.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information is shown in the table and covers renewable energy as a share of total primary energy supply in the United Kingdom and in each of the other EU member states.
	
		Renewable energy as a share of total primary energy supply, 2001
		
			  Total primary energy supply (Mtoe) Of which renewables (Mtoe) Share of renewables Percentage 
		
		
			 France 265.6 18.6 7.0 
			 Sweden 51.1 15.0 29.4 
			 Italy 172.0 9.6 5.6 
			 Germany 351.1 9.2 2.6 
			 Spain 127.4 8.2 6.5 
			 Finland 33.8 7.6 22.4 
			 Austria 30.7 6.6 21.5 
			 Portugal 24.7 3.4 13.7 
			 United Kingdom 235.2 2.5 1.1 
			 Denmark 19.8 2.1 10.4 
			 Greece 28.7 1.3 4.6 
			 Netherlands 77.2 1.1 1.4 
			 Belgium 59.0 0.6 1.0 
			 Ireland 15.0 0.3 1.7 
			 Luxembourg 3.8 0.1 1.6 
		
	
	Source:
	International Energy Agency
	The UK percentage is lower than other renewables percentages published for the United Kingdom because it is expressed in primary energy supply terms and includes energy used for heat as well as for electricity in both the denominator and the numerator. The percentage of UK electricity sales in 2001 that was accounted for by renewable sources eligible for the Renewables Obligation was 1.5 per cent. rising to 1.7 per cent. in 2002.

Whaling

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to encourage Iceland to stop whaling; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: While it is certainly most regrettable, Iceland's decision to undertake a programme of lethal scientific research on whales is perfectly legal and our only recourse is thus to diplomatic protest. I met the Icelandic ambassador to London in September and left him in no doubt as to the UK Government's views on Iceland's unjustified and unnecessary plan to kill 38 minke whales this year; (the actual take turned out to be 36). On 10 September the UK Government, represented by the UK ambassador to Iceland, led a demarche of 23 countries urging the Icelandic Government to reconsider its decision to proceed with so-called "scientific" whaling. A demarche on this scale is significant, and I hope that the Icelandic Government will reflect on it before deciding how to take matters forward for next year.

DEFENCE

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his written Ministerial Statement of 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 41–42WS, on Iraq, whether the full report on operations in Iraq to which he referred will include estimates of the numbers of British and Iraqi military and civilian casualties resulting from recent military operations in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: The full report on operations in Iraq will contain details of British fatal casualties only. We have no viable means of ascertaining the numbers of Iraqis killed or injured during the conflict. As of 10 October, 50 United Kingdom armed forces personnel and one member of the Defence Fire Service had died since the start of coalition military operations against Iraq. 12 of these deaths were non-battle fatalities.

Iraq

Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps were taken during the recent conflict in Iraq to encourage mutiny amongst Iraqi armed service personnel.

Adam Ingram: In an attempt to keep the conflict short and minimise casualties on both sides, the Coalition encouraged surrender and desertion, though not mutiny, within the Iraqi armed forces. Throughout the conflict daily broadcasts were made and leaflets dropped, peaking on 21–23 March with Iraqi ex-military commanders and clerics making appeals to the Iraqi forces to surrender or desert.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the results of the investigations into the cause of Marine Maddison's death in Iraq on 30 March; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Service Police investigation into the death of Marine Maddison is continuing. No conclusions have yet been drawn and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

Nuclear Submarines

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place to ensure safety systems are followed at HM naval bases where private enterprise is involved in the maintenance and repair of nuclear submarines.

Adam Ingram: Standards of safety in the maintenance and repair of nuclear submarines are ensured by the appointment of Radiation Protection Supervisors as defined by the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 (IRRs99). These Radiation Protection Supervisors ensure that the legally mandated local rules, written by the MOD or site operator as appropriate, are adhered to. The Naval Base Commanders employ Radiation Protection Advisers and Radiation Safety Officers to provide assurance and advice that these safety systems are being observed. In addition, MOD's internal regulatory body provides assurance on nuclear safety to senior functional safety boards and the independent Defence Nuclear Safety Committee. The Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installation Inspectorate (NII) also regulates MOD activities under IRRs99.

Nuclear Submarines

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether personal monitors of the IPM7 type are mandatory for all nuclear submarine radiation workers;
	(2)  what plans he has to improve the safety of workers on nuclear submarines;
	(3)  when the equipment used to monitor personnel leaving reactor compartments of nuclear submarines was last updated; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: IPM-7 type detectors are not suitable for use onboard submarines due to space constraints. Alternative procedures are therefore in place to ensure all personnel are thoroughly monitored for contamination on completion of their work before going ashore.
	The safety regime for workers on nuclear submarines complies fully with legal requirements. Safety arrangements are regularly audited and inspected by naval base assurance personnel and regulated by both MOD's internal nuclear propulsion programme regulator and the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII). As a responsible employer the MOD acts immediately on any advice or findings from these audits and inspections. The Department strives to adopt best industry practice and continues to invest in improvements in all forms of personal radiation monitoring equipment in order to ensure that all workers exposures are kept as low as is reasonably practicable.
	A programme to replace the existing equipment used to monitor personnel leaving reactor compartments of nuclear submarines is currently under way. It is planned to start issuing the new equipment to submarines from October this year. This adds to the modern monitoring equipment that was introduced by the naval bases during the 1990s.

Qualifications

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what qualifications are required of (a) civilian and (b) Navy radiation safety personnel working on nuclear submarines.

Adam Ingram: Both civilian and Royal Navy radiation safety personnel are required to be qualified to at least City and Guilds Stage 1 in Radiation Safety Practice, which is recognised as the required standard by the UK nuclear industry.

Personal Injury Claims

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sums have been made in settlement of personal injury claims filed concerning Army personnel in each year since 1990.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence does not generally record the details of the settlements of personal injury cases brought by members of HM forces by individual service. This information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. However, the information sought in relation to members of HM forces since 1990 is shown as follows. The increase in compensation payments reflects the fact that prior to May 1987, service personnel were prevented from pursuing claims for compensation from the MOD by section 10 of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947. The increase in the value of settlements in recent years is mainly attributable to changes in the level of general damages recommended to the courts by the Judicial Studies Board and a change in the multiplier used to calculate future losses as directed by the Lord Chancellor and set out in the Damages Act 1996.
	
		
			  Value of settlement (£ million)  
		
		
			 1990–91 1.67 
			 1991–92 2.39 
			 1992–93 6.52 
			 1993–94 8.29 
			 1994–95 12.0 
			 1995–96 12.6 
			 1996–97 16.2 
			 1997–98 26.8 
			 1998–99 26.7 
			 1999–2000 31.0 
			 2000–01 36.6 
			 2001–02 32.3 
			 2002–03 40.0

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academies

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for each school which was a city technology college or city college for the technology of the arts on 1 September 2002, whether (a) he has agreed under section 68 of the Education Act 2002 that the institution shall be known as an academy, (b) an application has been made to him that the school be known as an academy and (c) no application has been made to him for the school to be known as an academy; and in the case of (a), when the decision takes effect.

David Miliband: Section 68 of the Education Act 2002 allows a city technology college (CTC) or city college for the Technology of the Arts (CCTA) to convert into an academy, where the governors agree that the college should take on the characteristics of an academy. To date one CTC, Djanogly in Nottingham, has converted into an academy with effect from August 2003. The Department has also received an expression of interest from Haberdashers CTC in Lewisham to convert into an academy with effect from September 2005. Other CTCs are involved in the academies nine programmes as sponsors or in federation with academies, but have not formally expressed an interest in conversion.

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent by his Department and its agencies on (a) asbestos surveys and (b) the management and removal of asbestos since 1st January 2001; and what budget is available to (i) commission asbestos surveys and (ii) manage and remove asbestos from buildings in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004.

Stephen Twigg: My Department has spent an estimated £40,000 on asbestos surveys since January 2001.Costs for the management and removal of asbestos are not available. There is no set budget for future surveys, asbestos management or associated works. However, any remedial and control activities identified in the future as a requirement under the existing and new Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations will be undertaken. As I have said previously in replies to questions on asbestos from the hon. Gentleman, measures in place already and planned, will result in my Department fully complying with the new regulations by May 2004.

Free School Meals

Mike Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) boys and (b) girls receiving free school meals reached the required standards in (i) English and (ii) maths at key stage (A) 1, (B) 2, (C) 3 and (D) 4 in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

David Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
	The tables show, for each local education authority, the number and percentage of boys and girls by free school meals eligibility who reached the expected level in English and Maths in each year available since 1997. The figures shown are based on: Pupils achieving level 2 or above at Key Stage 1
	Pupils achieving level 4 or above at Key Stage 2
	Pupils achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3
	Pupils achieving grades A*-G) at GCSE

Special Educational Needs (Small Programmes Fund)

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which organisations received funding from the two new streams under the SEN Small Programmes Fund 2002–03; and what sums each organisation received.

David Miliband: The SEN Small Programmes Fund is a small pot of money which we use to fund projects taken forward by voluntary bodies working in the field of SEN.
	The following organisations received funding from the two streams of the SEN Small Programmes Fund in 2002–03:
	
		
			 Lead organisation name Project title Grant bid (£) 
		
		
			 Parents and pupils strand   
			 Kids Southeast The Same Difference 25,000 
			 Autism Initiatives Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Steps to inclusion for pupils, parents and providers 30,000 
			 AiMP and the North East Regional Partnership AiMP (Amicus interactive Music Project) 30,000 
			 Carousel MacKeith Unit After Schools Club 25,997 
			 Contact a Family Contact a Family, SKILL and network 81 Parent information project 26,686 
			 The Deaf@x Trust Training deaf pupils and their parents on the use of communications aid technologies 30,000 
			 East Midlands Regional Partnership Provision of support to parents/carers of pupils with SLD/complex needs who live in geographically/socially isolated locations within the East Midlands 27,100 
			 Harry's Hydro North Somerset Hydrotherapy and multi-sensory centre 30,000 
			 The Learning Disabilities Federation Family and supporter for pupils and parents of children with Autism/Autistic Spectrum and SEN/SSEN 19,400 
			 Leonard Cheshire South West Exeter LIVE—Living with Independence, Vocation and Education 30,000 
			 Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts Crossing the Threshold 18,500 
			 Manchester Council for Community Relations Parents and Inclusive Education 30,000 
			 The National Children's Bureau Why listen to me? A Peer Support and Parenting Project 23,900 
			 NSPCC Attention Difficulties: Developing evidence based practice 23,700 
			 NCH Penhurst School Development of a pre-verbal communication curriculum for children with profound, multiple learning difficulties 25,000 
			 North Liverpool Parent Support Group Removing Barriers to Positive Participation 30,000 
			 Pre-School Learning Alliance Promoting inclusion for pre-school children with SEN 29,925 
			 Orchestra of the Age Enlightenment Where the Green Grass Grows 9,000 
			 RNIB Developing social and emotional support strategies for visually impaired children 30,000 
			 Selective Mutism Information and Research Association (SMIRA) Video on selective mutism in childcare 30,000 
			 Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa Improving outcomes 25,000 
			 Shaw Trust East Lincolnshire Curriculum Project 30,000 
			 St. Aidans Trust Sheffield StAR provision 30,000 
			 South Central Regional Inclusion Partnership Developing partnerships with the independent and non-maintained sector 30,000 
			 SEN Regional Partnership (SW) South West Peninsula ASD Project 30,000 
			 Stockton Autism Support Group Learning for life—the Stockton ASD Learning Partnership 30,000 
			 Dyslexia Institute Preston Rd Dyslexia Project 30,000 
			 The National Autistic Society A multi-agency inclusive network 29,700 
			 The Space Project PROPP 30,000 
			 The Trident Trust Preparation and support for SEN students on work experience and work related learning 30,000 
			 Workforce Charitable Trust Achievement Plus 30,0000 
			 Autism Bedfordshire LOAF Project 15,658 
			 Child Brain Injury Trust Things can get better 28,650 
			 NW SEN Regional Partnership Bringing our Children Back Home 29,850 
			 North West Regional SEN Partnership A model for the implementation of a regional advocacy service for disabled children 29,963 
			 North West Regional SEN Partnership A model for effective emotional and social inclusion at Key Stages 3 and 4 30,000 
			 Teachers and Training Strand   
			 ACE Centre Advisory Trust Cornwall Alternative and Augmentative Communication Team 27,300 
			 ACE Centre—North Communication Aid System Picker and Enabling Resources (CASPER) 27,041 
			 Association for Science Education (ASE) Developing and Inclusive Science Resource 30,000 
			 Barnados Darlington inclusion alliance inclusive schools award project 26,958 
			 Barnados Continuing education of excluded pupils in Sunderland (CEEPS) 30,000 
			 BILD (British Institute for Learning Disabilities) Supporting transition from school to adulthood for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) 30,000 
			 BILD (British Institute for Learning Disabilities) An inclusive whole school approach to challenging behaviour in primary schools 30,000 
			 BILD (British Institute for Learning Disabilities) Removing barriers to support inclusion in making provision for pupils with SEN within Birmingham's Catholic Partnership 28,000 
			 Chicken Shed Theatre Company National Inclusive Training and Development Programme—Tower Hamlets Initiative 26,642 
			 CSV for Citizenship Disseminating Inclusive and innovative approaches to active citizenship and life skills 25,000 
			 Council for Disabled Children Making it Work 26,900 
			 Down's Syndrome Association Specialised training pack for teaching staff of pupils with Down's syndrome in special schools 28,130 
			 English Federation of Disability Sport—East Midlands Breakthrough—Derby and Derbyshire 30,000 
			 Express Link-Up Children's Charity Digital Brain Education Site Training programme for hospital and home tuition teachers in England 23,000 
			 Fairplay Inclusion—The Way Forward 29,594 
			 Heads, Teachers in Industry Removing the Boundaries 30,000 
			 I CAN Laying the foundations for inclusion of pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties 30,000 
			 Inaura Managing the transfer of pupils between places of education to maintain a zero exclusion zone in Slough 30,000 
			 INCLUDE The Model Reintegration Project 30,000 
			 London Sports Forum for Disabled People Breakthrough 29,175 
			 Mencap Trans Dynamic 30,000 
			 Merseyside SEN Partnership Development of a strategic policy and framework for monitoring, review, evaluation, and planning of educational inclusion across Greater Merseyside 30,000 
			 The National Deaf Children's Society Inclusion Toolkit: Deaf Children in Mainstream schools 22,168 
			 NoRSACA Combined joint approaches to develop training packages to support the inclusion of children with ASD in maintain settings 21,621 
			 RNIB The physical and sensory environment for children with visual impairment and additional disabilities. The development of audit and training materials 29,000 
			 RNIB Development of resources for children who are blind with additional learning difficulties who use Moon 25,540 
			 Swindon Dyslexia Association Dyslexia Friendly Schools 7,500 
			 The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Duke of Edinburgh's award SEN Co-ordinator and Materials 30,000 
			 The Dyslexia Institute Development of effective strategies to meet specific needs of pupils with SpLD/Dyslexia in the classroom 27,200 
			 The Mental Health Foundation Whole Child, whole school, whole school career 30,000 
			 The Total Learning Challenge Increasing access for teachers and support staff to training in therapeutic group work 29,877 
			 Youth Sport Trust Inclusion training in PE and sport 26,000 
			 Within Reach (Sheffield) Active Futures 18,840 
			 Young Minds Development and implementation of a training strategy to meet the emotional, behavioural or mental health needs of children in public care 30,000 
			 Wigan and District Dyslexia Association Development of a Structured Language Programme at Key Stage 3 29,750 
			 Stockton Autism Group Skills for the development of learning for life 30,000

Gifted Pupils

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 16 September, Official Report, column 686W, on gifted pupils, how many (a) pupils that took part in the 2003 summer schools and (b) pupils with Academy membership are from schools in the West Sussex area.

David Miliband: There are currently 23 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth from schools in the county of West Sussex. Of those, three went to academy summer schools in 2003, another five took part in an Academy Outreach Course in 2002–03 and one is participating in an e-learning maths course. A further three members are from schools in Brighton and Hove.

Key Stage Science Assessments

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children who attained level 4 in science Key Stage 2 assessment in 1998 achieved level 5 or above in science Key Stage 3 assessment in 2001; and what proportion of children who attained level 5 in science Key Stage 2 assessment in 1998 achieved level 6 or above in science Key Stage 3 assessment in 2001.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is as follows:
	Of those pupils who achieved level 4 or above in the 1998 Key Stage 2 Science tests, the proportion who went on to achieve level 5 or above in the 2001 Key Stage 3 Science tests was 85.3 per cent.
	Of these pupils who achieved level 5 or above in the 1998 Key Stage 2 Science tests, the proportion who went on to achieve level 6 or above in the 2001 Key Stage 3 Science tests was 85.1 per cent.

Student Loans

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of British undergraduate students used student loan facilities while they have capital sums invested elsewhere in the last year for which figures are available; and what the annual cost is of the interest subsidy on these loans.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Student Loans

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 17 September, reference 129731 what credit is given to the Student Loan Company for delays in transmission of repayments by the Inland Revenue; and what plans he has to minimise such delays.

Alan Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) manages student loan accounts. However, the loans are funded by and repaid to DfES, once Inland Revenue has collected and accounted for the loan repayments. The flow of loan repayments monies does not affect SLC's financial position in any way. Therefore, the question of credit to SLC for any delays in transmission of loan repayments does not arise.
	As mentioned in written answer 129731, recovered loan amounts are accounted for annually in arrears (by analogy with tax collections) and there is little scope for current change. However, from 2005/06, Inland Revenue will require electronic deductions records (in respect of 2004/05) from large employers. These developments should enable earlier transmission of repayments in due course.

Student Loans

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value was of student loans outstanding and attributable to persons who had dropped out from their higher education courses in each of the past three years.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not available centrally.

Cadet Training Courses

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines his Department issues to schools on the release of pupils in full-time education for training courses offered by (a) Sea Cadets, (b) Army Cadets and (c) the Air Training Corps.

Ivan Lewis: We recognise the positive impact of participation in training courses offered by the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets, Air Training Corps and other out of school activities on pupils' leadership skills, self esteem and motivation. They also significantly reduce the risk of vulnerable young people drifting into crime as well as improving their school attendance, as I observed when I visited Project Outreach run by the Army Cadet Force Association in February.
	It is for schools to consider requests to attend such activities. Requests should be considered on an individual basis taking into account the impact on the continuity of the pupil's learning and the guidance in annex A of the Department for Education and Skills' circular 10/99, School Inclusion: Pupil Support.

University Admissions

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what appeal or complaint procedures there are for students refused placements at the University of the West of England on the joint distance learning programme MA in planning;
	(2)  what his policy is on whether the administrators of a university registering a student for a joint qualification course may override the decisions of the management board representing all participating universities.

Alan Johnson: The administration of joint programmes and internal appeals or complaints procedures at universities are matters for the individual institutions, although they should have regard to the Quality Assurance Agency's Code of Practice on these issues. The Secretary of State has no powers to intervene in the internal affairs of higher education institutions.
	As both of these questions essentially concern the internal affairs of the University of West of England, I have written to the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Alfred Morris, asking for a response. I shall send you a copy of his reply and arrange for a copy to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the questions of the hon. Member for Edmonton, Refs (a) 120769, (b) 120770, (C) 120771, (d) 120772 and (e) 120773, tabled on 19 June.

Stephen Twigg: Replies were issued on (a) 23 September, (b) 7 July, (c) 14 July, (d) 14 July and (e) 30 September.

Teenage Pregnancy

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action is being taken to tackle teenage pregnancy in deprived areas; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: The similar geography of teenage pregnancy and deprivation suggests that whilst there is still much work to do, the encouraging 10 per cent. decline in England's under 18 conception rate from 1998 to 2001 has been largely achieved through targeted work in deprived localities with high numbers of conceptions by:
	the allocation of funding to Teenage Pregnancy Partnerships based on teenage pregnancy rates;
	the use of research and toolkits to address the needs of vulnerable groups. For example, Teenage Pregnancy and Neighbourhood Renewal: Learning from New Deal for Communities which details good practice in New Deal for Community areas and shares the main learning points from that practice;
	New Deal for Communities and other Neighbourhood Renewal pathfinder programmes are given support and guidance in tackling teenage pregnancy as an issue through learning events and written guidance;
	encouraging local strategies to target wards with a high number of teenage conceptions; and
	the development of a programme of work to improve our understanding of the relationship between teenage pregnancy and socio-economic factors.
	The association between deprivation and teenage pregnancy is well established and reflected in the under 18 conception rates for local authorities across England. To achieve its national targets of halving the under 18 conception rate and reducing the inequality in rates between wards by at least 25 per cent. by 2010, the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy must focus its work on deprived areas with high conception rates.

Student Visas

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which universities have the largest number of students studying on international student visas.

Alan Johnson: Information on the number of non-European Union students studying at higher education institutions in England for 2001–02 shows that the largest number of these students are studying at the universities listed in the table below. Information is not collected on the visa status of these students.
	
		
			 Institution Number 
		
		
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 3,425 
			 Middlesex University 3,348 
			 The University of Oxford 3,265 
			 The University of Cambridge 3,065 
			 The University of Nottingham 3,042 
			 The University of Warwick 3,038 
			 University College London 2,933 
			 The University of Leeds 2,855 
			 The University of Birmingham 2,827 
			 The Victoria University of Manchester 2,795 
			 The University of Sheffield 2,440 
			 The London Institute 2,105 
			 The University of Westminster 2,104 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine 2,014 
			 City University 1,872 
			 King's College London 1,869 
			 University of Luton 1,759 
			 The University of Leicester 1,710 
			 Oxford Brookes University 1,679 
			 The University of North London 1,677

Skills Base

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the UK skills base of those on low incomes choosing not to seek new employment because of concerns over short term cash flow problems.

Ivan Lewis: This Department has not made an assessment of the effect on the skills base if those on low incomes choose not to seek new employment. The recent Skills Strategy White Paper sets out a number of measures aimed at ensuring individuals have the skills they need to be employable, and work productively in a flexible labour market. In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions is committed to making work pay for all those who are able to work, and to supporting households, including low-income households, in sustaining employment.
	The Department for Work and Pensions believe that most people moving from one job to another will be able to manage until they receive payment from their new job, as wages are paid in arrears. For those in receipt of Working Tax Credit, continuity of payment is maintained when people move from one job to another, as long as the gap between jobs is no more than 7 days. The new Working Tax Credit has been extended to people aged 25 and over without children. If people receive the Child Tax Credit, this continues to be paid direct to the main carer throughout any changes in employment. People in low paid employment may also be entitled to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
	People who are unable to manage whilst waiting for payment of wages, leading to a serious risk to their own health or safety or that of their family, may be able to get an interest free Crisis Loan. Repayment of a Crisis Loan does not start until the period of crisis is over and the rate of repayment takes account of a person's income and other commitments to avoid hardship.

University Drop-out Rate

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the drop-out rate was at universities in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: The latest available figures giving non-completion rates for students starting full-time first degree courses in England and in Wales are as follows:
	
		Non-completion for students starting full-time first degree courses in England and Wales
		
			 Students startingcourses in: Non completion rate (%)(3) 
			  England Wales 
		
		
			 1999–2000 16 15 
			 1998–99 16 14 
			 1997–98 16 16 
		
	
	Source:
	HEFCE Performance Indicators
	(3) Non-completion is regarded as those who do not gain a qualification from their original course or from any other course and do not transfer to another institution.
	Figures published in 2003 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the UK as a whole has one of the lowest non-completion rates among OECD countries.

University Places

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of A-level students from (a) the Chesham and Amersham constituency and (b) Buckinghamshire secured a place at university in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Johnson: The available information shows that, in 2002, the proportion of 18 year olds resident in Buckinghamshire who obtained two or more A-levels and who were accepted onto a full-time or sandwich undergraduate course in the UK via the Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) was 65 per cent., compared to the national average of 61 per cent.
	Figures are not available at constituency level.

Students (Tynemouth)

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people resident in Tynemouth constituency are (a) further and (b) higher education students.

Alan Johnson: Figures are not available at constituency level. The available figures cover North Tyneside LEA.
	In 2001–02, 16,445 people resident in North Tyneside LEA attended Further Education (FE) sector colleges.
	In 2002–03, 856 people resident in North Tyneside LEA were accepted through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) onto full-time undergraduate courses.

Higher Education

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people beginning higher education courses in 2002 had previously attended a fee paying school.

Alan Johnson: The available information is from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and covers full-time undergraduate entrants. Figures are in the table.
	
		Accepted applicants through UCAS to undergraduate courses by previous educational establishment, 2002 entry
		
			 Previous Educational Establishment Numbers Percentage of known 
		
		
			 Maintained school 121,911 46 
			 Independent school 30,293 11 
			 FE colleges 110,083 42 
			 Other 1,480 1 
			 Total known 263,767 100 
			 Unknown 67,958 – 
			 Total 331,725 – 
		
	
	Source:
	UCAS

Further and Higher Education

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in (a) Chesham & Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire are (i) further and (ii) higher education students.

Alan Johnson: Figures are not available at constituency level. The available figures cover Buckinghamshire LEA.
	In 2001–02, 19,396 people resident in Buckinghamshire LEA attended Further Education (FE) sector colleges.
	In 2002–03, 3,316 people resident in Buckinghamshire were accepted through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) onto full-time undergraduate courses.

Literacy and Numeracy

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the contractual penalties incurred by contractors responsible for the delivery of primary (a) literacy and (b) numeracy strategies for failure to meet targets set by the strategies in the last three years.

Stephen Twigg: The responsibility for the achievement of the primary literacy and numeracy national targets lies solely with the Department for Education and Skills. The contractor responsible for the delivery of the primary literacy and numeracy strategies, CfBT Education Services, provides educational and operational support under the strategic direction of the Department.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Child Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many specialist child protection officers have been employed in each county police force in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 11 September 2003
	Specific information relating to the compliance of police forces with the recommendations of the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report has been analysed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, and a summary report of their findings, together with those of Health and Social Services Inspectorates, will be published in October.
	Information about the numbers of specialist child protection officers will not be available from this report. The allocation of resources within a force is decided locally by the Chief Constable or, in the case of the Metropolitan Police Service, the Commissioner. Under the National Policing Plan all forces and authorities are expected to review their force policy and local service plans to ensure that child protection is given the appropriate priority.

Communications Data

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prescribed officers will be able to authorise access to communications data under (a) Schedule 1, columns 1 and 2 and (b) Schedule 2, columns 1 and 2 of the draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2003, broken down by organisations authorised to provide access.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.

Communications Data

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a single authorised request for access to communications data can involve all individuals who have contacted an organisation identified in the Schedules of the draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2003; and what estimate he has made of the number of people whose communications data will be accessed in a single year.

Caroline Flint: Under Part I Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, any authorisation granted or notice given requiring the disclosure of communications data must be necessary for a purpose set out in section 22(2). Obtaining the data must also be proportionate to what is sought to be achieved by that taking into account the extent of the intrusiveness of what is proposed and the operational need for that. The imposition of a regulatory framework will enable a clearer assessment of how many people lawful acquisition of communications data impacts upon.

Communications Data

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff the Interception of Communications Commissioner will have to supervise those who are authorised to gain access to Communications Data under the draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2003; and if he will make a statement on the current staffing levels of the Commissioner.

Caroline Flint: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry North East (Bob Ainsworth) on 26 March 2003, Official Report, column 264W.
	The Interception of Communications Commissioner is considering the number of staff he will require to undertake his statutory duty and how he might additionally undertake some form of third party prior approval of certain requirements for disclosure of communications data. This was proposed in the consultation paper "Access to communications data—respecting privacy and protecting the public from crime", a summary of responses to which has been published 1 .
	The Commissioner is satisfied that the staffing level in his office is sufficient to meet his current responsibilities.
	1 http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/access comms data.html

Communications Data

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many authorised requests for access to communications data he has estimated each organisation identified in the Schedules of the draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2003 will make in a year.

Caroline Flint: In the consultation paper 'Access to communications data—respecting privacy and protecting the public from crime' the Government estimated public authorities have approximately half a million requirements for disclosure of communications data annually and, where kept, gave figures for specific public authorities. The imposition of a regulatory regime for acquisition of communications data will require proper record keeping by each public authority exercising powers under Part I Chapter II of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Communications Data

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police, having gained access to communications data, have the powers to disclose such data to the Inland Revenue for the purposes of collection of tax or duty; and what plans he has to withdraw the draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2003 to make specific reference to section 22(2)(f) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Caroline Flint: The draft Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Communications Data) Order 2003 makes specific reference to section 22(2)(f) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. It provides that only the Commissioners of Customs and Excise and the Commissioners of Inland Revenue may grant an authorisation or give a notice requiring disclosure of communications data for the purpose of assessing or collecting any tax, duty, levy or other imposition, contribution or charge payable to a Government Department. The police having obtained communications data for another purpose have no power to disclose that data to the Inland Revenue for the purposes of collecting tax or to Customs and Excise for the purposes of collecting duty.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the CCRC is taking to (a) ensure clear communication and (b) promote awareness and understanding among its stakeholders.

Paul Goggins: The Commission's communications strategy concentrates on promoting awareness and understanding among its stakeholders. It disseminates widely an information pack and other materials that clarify its role and powers. These include press releases and feature articles, an audiotape and videotape ("Open to Question", which has received an international award). It also operates the website http://www.ccrc.gov.uk and a 24-hour media inquiry service. Commission staff frequently give lectures and presentations on the Commission, and visit other agencies in the criminal justice system. A second workshop for selected stakeholders was held in July 2003.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pieces of new legislation have been stimulated by the CCRC's casework.

Paul Goggins: To 31 March 2003, the Commission's casework has stimulated only one piece of new legislation: the Criminal Cases Review (Insanity) Act 1999.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by the CCRC to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the case review process.

Paul Goggins: Efforts are continually being made by the Commission to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the case review process, without compromising its commitment to reviewing each case thoroughly. For case review, as for any of its processes, the Commission's goals must satisfy five distinct criteria. They must be:
	specific, i.e. define a precise process modification to be made, or numerical performance standard to be reached;
	payoff-oriented, i.e. be defined to achieve improvements in effectiveness, efficiency and/or economy;
	intrinsically rewarding, otherwise staff will not be motivated to achieve them; realistic, otherwise staff are likely to be demotivated by them; and
	observable, i.e. it must be possible to determine unambiguously whether or not they have been achieved.
	These are stringent requirements, and imply that the necessary planning, resource allocation and monitoring processes are implemented to achieve and observe them. Much of the Commission's routine managerial effort is directed to continuous improvement of its processes by the definition and implementation of process goals. Whenever special process review seems appropriate, the Chairman convenes an internal Process Improvement Group (PIG), which may then set up specific Process Improvement Projects (PIPs).

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stops and searches have been carried out by each police force under section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 in each year since 1998–99, broken down by ethnic origin of those stopped and searched; and how many of these involved the searching of vehicles.

Hazel Blears: The information requested on stop and searches of persons under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 that has been published in "Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System" is given in the tables for each financial year from 1998–99 to 2001–02 inclusive. Also included in the tables which have been placed in the Library, is information on the number of vehicles searched. This information is not routinely published. Data are not yet available for the 2002–03 financial year.

Dr. Ali Dizaei

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons Section 8 warrants were applied for in relation to Dr Ali Dizaei.

Hazel Blears: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the reasons for the 12 warrants applied for and issued under Section 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 on 15 January 2001 were to allow officers to search for documents and correspondence which may have shown a criminal relationship between Ali Dizaei and two named individuals and computer and electronic storage devices on which such documents and correspondence may have been created and stored.
	The section 8 warrant applied for and issued on 20 January 2001 was to allow officers to search for documents and correspondence.

Forensic Science Laboratory (Chorley)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales contract work to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Chorley; how many staff are employed at the Chorley site; and what representations he has received in response to his statement of 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 61WS, from (a) the workforces, (b) trade unions, (c) police forces, (d) hon. Members and (e) other bodies.

Hazel Blears: Chorley Forensic Science Laboratory provides services to the police forces in its North West region, which are Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, and North Wales. The Laboratory also provides services to police forces in Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire.
	These services are based on Service Level Agreements and not legally binding contracts.
	At 31 August, there were 228 individuals employed at Chorley Forensic Laboratory.
	To date, representations in response to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary's statement of 17 July about the future of the Forensic Science Service have been received from (a) two FSS employees, (b) two trade unions, Prospect and PCS, and from Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, (c) no police forces or police authorities, (d) 89 hon. Members and (e) no other bodies.

Jamaican Prisoners

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce alternatives to prosecutions for drugs mules from Jamaica.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	None. All those detected attempting to smuggle drugs into the UK should expect to face prosecution in the UK. However, HM Customs and Excise has seen a 75 per cent. reduction in the number of cocaine couriers from Jamaica arrested in the UK since they began to provide support to the Jamaican authorities in June 2002 to intercept couriers prior to boarding planes in Jamaica.

Terrorism Act

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions police officers used powers provided by the Terrorism Act 2000 during protests at (a) RAF Fairford and (b) the Mining Bomb Store at Welford, Berkshire.

Hazel Blears: Gloucestershire Police inform me that, during the period 6 March to 27 April 2003, the stop and search powers conferred by authorisations under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 were used on a total of 2,132 occasions in the vicinity of RAF Fairford. The police also used their powers under section 45(2) to seize articles from 28 of those who were stopped. One arrest was made under section 41 of the Act. I understand that none of the other powers in Part V of the Act were used.
	Thames Valley Police inform me that during the period 1 March to 22 April 2003, the stop and search powers conferred by authorisations under section 44 of the Act were used on 41 occasions in the vicinity of the Mining Bomb Store at Welford, Berkshire. One arrest was made under section 41 of the Act. I understand that none of the other powers in Part V of the Act were used.

Terrorism Act

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many notices under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 he has signed this year relating to (a) London and (b) the rest of England; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: So far this year the use of section 44 powers has been confirmed on 20 occasions within London. The power has been confirmed on 125 occasions for the rest of England.
	This is an important power and the Government are adamant it must be used appropriately and proportionately.

National Probation Directorate

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons (a) are employed and (b) act as consultants for the National Probation Directorate.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows:
	Collected Staff in Post figures indicate that as of August 2003 there were 430 staff in post within the National Probation Directorate.
	Of these staff currently, there are 42 consultants in post.

Police Identification

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the statutory basis is for the requirement that police officers must display an identifying number on their uniform.

Hazel Blears: There is no statutory requirement for police officers to display an identifying number on their uniform.

Police Internal Investigations

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are subject to (a) internal investigations and (b) disciplinary proceedings.

Hazel Blears: Information concerning the numbers of police officers subject to (a) internal investigations and (b) disciplinary proceedings is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Policing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) proportion and (b) total amount of (i) total Government spending and (ii) gross domestic product was spent on policing in each of the last five years; and what the projected proportion of total Government spending is in the next two years.

Hazel Blears: The information available for the United Kingdom is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Total managed expenditure (TME) Money GDP UK public spend on police functions Spend on police as a proportion of TME Spend on police as a proportion of money GDP 
			 Year £ billion £ billion £ billion Percentage Percentage 
		
		
			 1998–99 333.3 868.6 8.9 2.7 1.0 
			 1999–2000 343.6 918.2 9.2 2.7 1.0 
			 2000–01 366.8 962.6 9.7 2.6 1.0 
			 2001–02 389.6 1,005.0 11.2 2.9 1.1 
			 2002–03 421.0 1,056.2 (4)12.1 2.9 1.1 
			 2003–04 455.7 1,108.4 n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	(4) Estimated outturn
	Sources:
	Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2003 and Treasury.

Prison Population

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his projection is for the prison population for mid-year 2006; and what the (a) highest and (b) lowest estimated figures are.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 10 July 2003
	The most recent projections of the prison population are presented in the April 2003 Prison Population Monthly Brief issued in September 2003. These present four scenarios (scenarios a—d) for the short term projection (up to March 2005) and two scenarios (central scenarios b and c) for the long term projection (up to 2009). There are no new higher and lower scenarios for these most recent long term projections.
	The projections cover a range of possible trends in sentencing and court workloads and include estimates for policy initiatives.
	The two central scenarios would lead to prison populations of between 87,200 and 88,000 by mid-year 2006.

Probation Services

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the completion rates were for offenders commencing Probation Service accredited programmes in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03, broken down by programme type.

Paul Goggins: In 2001–02 the percentage of offenders completing Probation Service accredited programmes, as a proportion of starts, was 37 per cent. This figure reached 48 per cent. in 2002–03. The proportion of starts to completions, as a percentage, per programme type is shown in the final two columns of the table. These are national figures and are subject to variation from area to area.
	It should be noted that the nature of programmes and the delivery structure means that offenders who start a programme in a given year do not necessarily complete the programme in that year. 2001 was the first year of implementation of programmes, and the rollout of programmes is continuing through 2003–04.
	
		Accredited programme completion rates 2001–02 and 2002–03
		
			 Programme Percentage completions/starts (2001–02) Percentage completions/starts (2002–03) 
		
		
			 Think First 39 55 
			 Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) 33 55 
			 Reasoning & Rehabilitation (R&R) 29 33 
			 Priestly 1:1 32 39 
			 Addressing Substance Related Offending (ASRO) 33 32 
			 Programme for Addressing Substance Misuse (PRISM)(5) 100 8 
			 Sex Offender Group Programme (SOGP) 110 23 
			 Aggression Replacement Training (ART) 0 30 
			 Drink/Drive 17 43 
			 Domestic Violence 2 55 
			 Focus on Violence for Males (FOVM) 58 78 
			 Focus on Violence for Females (FOVF)(5) 89 89 
			 Real Women(5) n/a 43 
			 Cognitive Skills Booster(5) n/a 133 
			 All 37 48 
		
	
	(5) The numbers starting these programmes are very small. Real Women and Cognitive Skills Booster are still at the pilot stage.

Project Reflex

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions have resulted from the work of Project Reflex in each month since its inception.

Beverley Hughes: Between April 2001 and April 2002, Reflex launched 82 operations and disrupted 14 organised crime groups. 67 facilitators were arrested, resulting in 21 convictions. Between June 2002 and April 2003, there were 98 arrests. The total number of convictions to date is not yet available, as some cases are continuing.
	Arrests and convictions in this Reflex year, since April 2003, are as follows.
	
		
			  Arrests Convictions to date 
		
		
			 April 4 1 
			 May 5 0 
			 June 16 3 
			 July 22 20 
			 August 10 3 
			 September — — 
			 October 10 — 
			 Total 67 27 
		
	
	Note:
	Arrests and convictions are not necessarily related to each other.
	In addition, under the first phase of Maxim, a joint operation between the Metropolitan police and Immigration Services, there were 47 arrests including possessing false documents. In the second phase of Maxim, there were 23 arrests, including those holding false documents.

Publicity and Advertising

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in each year from 1995–96 to 2002–03 (estimated); and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: Home Office expenditure, and expenditure by its sponsored bodies on advertising and publicity is made in accordance with departmental guidance.
	Details of expenditure are set out in the table.
	
		£
		
			  1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Publishing 
			 Home Office — 3,290,000 2,786,000 2,496,000 5,431,000 9,237,000 7,603,000 7,017,000 
			  
			 NDPBs 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  
			 CDF — — — — — — — — 
			 CRE 595,000 738,000 527,000 539,000 942,000 715,000 885,000 642,000 
			 CCRC — — 95,000 108,000 89,000 69,000 67,000 71,000 
			 CICA — — — — — — — — 
			 CICAP — — — — — — — — 
			 1MB — — — — — — 9,000 11,000 
			 PB — — — 33,000 67,000 45,000 45,000 121,000 
			 PCA 160,000 98,000 95,000 53,000 74,000 77,000 79,000 163,000 
			 YJB — — — — 108,000 303,000 336,000 340,000 
			 Centrex(6) — — — — — — — 268,000 
			 OISC(6) — — — — — 176,000 298,000 310,000 
			 NCIS(6) — — — — — — — 585,000 
			 NCS(6) — — — — — — — 739,000 
			  
			 Total 755,000 836,000 717,000 733,000 1,280,000 1,385,000 1,719,000 3,250,000 
			  
			 Agencies 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  
			 Prison Service(6)  407,000 480,000 772,000 925,000 966,000 1,331,000 2,206,000 
			 UKPA(6) 260,000 198,000 66,000 103,000 1,264,000 337,000 549,000 737,000 
			 CRB(6) — — — — — — 822,000 590,000 
			  
			 Total 260,000 605,000 546,000 875,000 2,189,000 1,303,000 2,702,000 3,533,000 
			  
			 Grand Total 1,015,000 4,731,000 4,049,000 4,104,000 8,900,000 11,925,000 12,024,000 13,800,000 
		
	
	(6) NDPBs and agencies with combined advertising and publishing costs.
	
		£
		
			  1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Advertising 
			 Home Office — 348,000 199,000 3,760 — 180,000 1,105 463,000 
			  
			 NDPBs 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  
			 CDF 310 395 46 100 369 274 318 338 
			 CRE 246,000 305,000 218,000 223,000 291,000 244,000 258,000 146,000 
			 CCRC — — 145,000 80,000 67,000 160,000 142,000 64,000 
			 CICA — — — — — — — — 
			 CICAP — — — — — — — — 
			 1MB — — — — — — 3,000 10,000 
			 PB — — — — — 500 500 500 
			 PCA — — — — — — — — 
			 YJB — — — — — — — — 
			 Centrex(7) — — — — — — — — 
			 OISC(7) — — — — — — — — 
			 NCIS(7) — — — — — — — — 
			 NCS(7) 
			  
			 Total 246,310 305,395 363,046 303,100 358,369 404,774 403,818 220,838 
			  
			 Agencies 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  
			 Prison Service(7) — — — — — — — — 
			 UKPA(7) — — — — — — — — 
			 CRB(7) — — — — — — — — 
			  
			 Total 246,310 653,395 562,046 306,860 358,369 584,774 404,923 683,838 
		
	
	(7) NDPBs and agencies with combined advertising and publishing costs.

Under-age Drinkers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what advice has been given to the police regarding the confiscation of unopened containers of alcohol from underage drinkers following the reintroduction of regulations under the Licensing Act 2003;
	(2)  how police should dispose of unopened containers of alcohol confiscated from underage drinkers, following re-introduction of regulations under the Licensing Act 2003.

Hazel Blears: Section 155 of the Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 10 September 2003. It extended existing police powers relating to the confiscation of alcohol from people who are drinking and causing nuisance in public places, allowing for the confiscation of sealed containers in addition to opened containers, in defined circumstances.
	Home Office Circular 45/2003 issued to police forces on 10 September 2003 sets out the details of how they should apply the new powers. The Circular updates Home Office Circular 38/1997 which explains that a constable can dispose of any alcoholic drink surrendered to him in such a manner as he considers appropriate. In most instances, this is likely to involve immediately pouring the drink away. In some cases it may be more appropriate to remove the drink from the scene and dispose of it later.
	Home Office Circulars can currently be obtained from the website: http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/ ho/circular.nsf/ViewTemplate%20For%20HOCircularsWeb?OpenForm

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his Answer of 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 85W, on Iraq, what the outcome has been of the vigorous investigations into United Kingdom companies named in Iraq's declaration to the United Nations; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The analysis of the Iraqi declaration showed that there was no new information on British companies that merited action being taken against them. All the British companies that were named in the declaration were already known to the relevant authorities, and their activities had already been investigated. Where appropriate, legal proceedings were pursued at the time.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of each memorandum he sent to the Prime Minister, on the situation in respect of Iraq, between 16 and 19 March this year.

Bill Rammell: Any such material is withheld in accordance with the Code of Practice on access to Government Information, Part II paragraphs l(a), l(b) and 2.

Iraq

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to visit Iraq.

Bill Rammell: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no plans to visit Iraq at present, but will keep the situation under review.

Iraq

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy on the role of the United Nations in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: UNSCR 1483 unanimously adopted on 22 May welcomes the appointment of the UN Special Representative on Iraq and resolves that the United Nations should play a vital role in humanitarian relief, the reconstruction of Iraq and the restoration and establishment of national and local institutions for representative governance.
	The Government would support an increased UN role and the Security Council is currently considering a draft resolution which would encourage further participation by the UN and the international community including in the political processes leading to the formation of a representative government.

Conflict Prevention

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many copies have been printed of the booklet entitled, "A joint UK Government approach to reducing conflict"; and what the costs were of its production and printing.

Bill Rammell: 10,000 copies of this booklet on the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) have been printed. Each booklet cost approximately £2.45 to produce (production and printing).
	It is important to publicise the Global Pool, particularly to NGOs, international organisations and others who might act as project deliverers, or with whom we might be able to join forces in this important field. Copies have been sent to all UK Embassies and High Commissions overseas for this purpose. Members of the public have also shown an interest in conflict prevention issues, and HMG has a duty to inform the public on how we are using public funds to improve UK efforts on conflict prevention.
	The booklet has been well received since its launch on 9 September, and the Conflict Prevention Unit has received significant new interest in the GCPP since this time.
	A copy of the booklet has been placed on the FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk) accessible under Global Issues-International Organisations-UN-Conflict Prevention, which should help minimise the requirement for hard copies.

Bribery

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the guidance issued by his Department to the diplomatic posts with regard to what action they should take if they suspect bribery by a UK company to be taking place, or receive an allegation that such bribery is taking place; and what measures they should take to prevent bribery by UK companies.

Denis MacShane: The FCO issued internal guidance on this issue to all posts shortly before the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act (ATCSA) came into force and this has been regularly refreshed. The guidance includes advice to posts about their responsibilities under the Act and instructions on how to report bribery allegations. Posts have also been asked to circulate the guidance to representatives of other government departments within their region.
	Guidance on reporting bribery allegations is included in training courses for all Commercial Officers going on overseas postings. The FCO has also provided speakers to reinforce the message at seminars for British businesses in the UK and overseas. An information leaflet produced in conjunction with the Home Office and the Department of Trade and Industry is distributed at these events. Copies of this leaflet will be deposited in the Library of the House.
	This specific guidance following the passage of the ATCSA complements that provided to all Crown Servants in the "Giving Evidence or Information about Suspected Crimes—A Guide for Crown Servants". This report was placed in the Library of the House on 20 March 1997 under reference dep/3/4876. It can also be accessed at website http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/../../central/2001/crownser.pdf

Departmental Budget

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of his Department's budget for the current financial year is spent on (a) information technology systems, (b) its estate and (c) staff salaries and allowances; and what the percentage was in 2000–01.

Bill Rammell: During the year 2000–01, the FCO spent the following proportion of its budget on information technology systems, the estate and staff salaries and allowances:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 IT systems 2.9 
			 Estate (capital) 7.0 
			 Staff salaries and allowances 31.0 
		
	
	Including costs for locally engaged staff in overseas posts
	For 2003–04, the FCO has allocated the following proportions of its budget to the same areas of expenditure:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 IT Systems 2.2 
			 Estate (capital) 4.0 
			 Staff salaries and allowances 24.0 
		
	
	The figures for estate comprise capital spending only. Responsibility for non-capital maintenance spending on the overseas estate is devolved to posts. Details of the proportion of post budgets allocated to estate maintenance are not held centrally. Gathering this information from all 230 posts could only be done with considerable effort. Total expenditure can only be determined once the financial year is over and post budget information is consolidated with other FCO expenditure.

Guinea-Bissau

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the coup in Guinea-Bissau on 14 September; what recent discussions representatives of the UK have had with representatives of (a) the former regime and (b) the new regime; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We condemn any assumption of power by unconstitutional means, and support a swift return to constitutional rule in Guinea-Bissau. We welcomed the quick and peaceful handover of power to the Transitional Council, and the positive role played by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in this process. There are plans to hold legislative elections by March 2004, and presidential elections by the following year. It will be important to address Guinea-Bissau's deep economic and social problems as part of wider effort to restore stability.
	We have held discussions with EU and UN partners, the UNSG's Special Representative and ECOWAS about the coup. We have had no recent discussions with representatives of either the old or new regimes in Guinea-Bissau.

Guinea-Bissau

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions (a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of (i) the Government of Portugal, (ii) the Governments of other EU member states, (iii) the US Government, (iv) the Government of South Africa, (v) the United Nations and (vi) the Organisation of West African States since 14 September concerning developments in Guinea-Bissau.

Chris Mullin: Following the 14 September coup in Guinea Bissau, officials held discussions with the Portuguese, with other EU partners, and with Security Council partners and other United Nations officials. We supported the statements issued by the UN Security Council on 15 September and by the EU on 18 September. Neither my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary nor officials have held separate talks on Guinea Bissau with the US Government or with the South African Government. Officials have been briefed on developments by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Immigration and Asylum

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consultation he has had with the new EU states about immigration and asylum.

Denis MacShane: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary (who has lead responsibility for asylum and immigration matters), and other Government Ministers have regular discussions with their counterparts in the new member states on issues of asylum and immigration. These discussions take place within formal bilaterals as well as in the margins of other meetings.

Sri Lanka

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are residing in Sri Lanka.

Mike O'Brien: There are currently 856 British Citizens and their families registered with the British High Commission in Colombo as resident in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans were implemented by his Department since 1997 to resolve the conflict in Sri Lanka through negotiations between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: We support the Sri Lankan peace process both politically and practically, and welcome the remarkable progress that has been made since February 2002 when the current ceasefire came into effect.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, DFID and MOD work together to promote peace under a "Peace Building and Reconciliation Strategy", which aims to strengthen the incentives for peace and reconciliation through an integrated programme of activities by all three departments. Funding for this strategy is in part provided from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (jointly administered by FCO/DFID/MOD).
	While we do not have a formal role in the peace process, we are working with the Tokyo Donors' Conference co-chairs (Japan, Norway, EU and US) to implement the conference's recommendations. The peace process is first and foremost an internal affair for the Sri Lankan people to resolve. We hope that the LTTE will shortly be tabling proposals that will enable all parties to return to the negotiating table.

Sri Lanka

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when representatives of his Department raised the conflict in Sri Lanka in (a) the EU Council of Ministers and (b) the United Nations since 1997; what the outcome of discussions was; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: At the November 2002 meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC—the foreign affairs sub-council of the EU Council), the Council reiterated its support for the Sri Lankan peace process and said that any EU engagement would be closely co-ordinated with other international efforts. In June, the EU co-chaired the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development in Sri Lanka.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Officials meet regularly with the Heads of the UN agencies and their representatives. Most recently the Head of DFID Colombo met with the UN Acting Resident Co-ordinator on 6 October in Colombo.

UN Bodies (Membership)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the countries that have in the past 30 years been voted out of (a) the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Human Rights Commission and (b) the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The membership of these UN bodies is decided on the basis of regular elections that are contested by member states. States serve for three years and must stand in elections if they wish to be re-appointed. There is no procedure to vote countries out.
	Over the last 30 years, many member states have been unsuccessful in their bids for election or re-election to UN bodies. I would refer the hon. Member to a list of member states' tenures on the Commission on Human Rights and on the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions over the past 30 years copies of which will be deposited in the Library of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Competitive Sports

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of schoolchildren undertake competitive sports.

Richard Caborn: Data collected from School Sport Co-ordinator partnerships during the autumn term 2002 indicated that one pupil in five in their schools was involved in inter-school competitions and events and one pupil in two in intra-school competitions and events.

Lottery Funds

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on (a) the action she is taking to ensure the equitable allocation of good cause Lottery money and (b) the use of Lottery funds for sport-related activities.

Estelle Morris: The Government are keen to see all areas and groups receive a fair share of Lottery money. Reforms introduced under the 1998 National Lottery Act, the revised policy directions issued to distributors in the same year, and the introduction of targeted programmes such as the Fair Share initiative were designed to help ensure the equitable allocation of Lottery funding. The National Lottery Funding Decision Document, published in July of this year, contained further proposals to make it easier for communities to access funding.
	Lottery investment in sport aims both to foster World Class achievers and promote physical activity at all levels. It does so by providing funds directly to elite athletes and to Sports Governing bodies, and also by giving funding for equipment, coaching and facilities infrastructure in communities across the UK.

HEALTH

Cancer Patients (Fertility Services)

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what services are available to newly diagnosed cancer patients of reproductive age to preserve their reproductive options, with particular reference to (a) advice and information, (b) sperm storage and (c) egg storage, in each cancer network in England and Wales;
	(2)  what fertility services are provided to patients of reproductive age suffering from fertility problems following treatment for cancer in each primary care trust;
	(3)  what funding arrangement he makes to provide fertility services for cancer patients;
	(4)  what plans he has to develop guidelines for newly diagnosed cancer patients of reproductive age to preserve their reproductive options.

Melanie Johnson: Information on the provision of infertility services and treatments to national health service patients by primary care trusts (PCTs) is not held centrally. It is for PCTs, in partnership with strategic health authorities, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities. The Government's overall approach is to devolve greater freedom to frontline staff and organisations to give them the freedom to innovate and improve care for patients, based on local needs and circumstances.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is expecting to issue clinical guidelines on NHS fertility treatment services in February 2004. NICE has also been asked to produce service guidance on cancers affecting children and adolescents. The scope of this guidance includes specialist follow-up for late effects of treatment including fertility. NICE is expected to consult on the first draft of this guidance in summer 2004. It is anticipated that this guidance will inform decisions about adults who may experience infertility through treatment for cancer.

Cervical Screening

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Hull and the East Riding in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 have had smear tests; and for how long they waited.

Melanie Johnson: Coverage of the target age group, aged 25–64, for cervical screening in the East Riding was 85.2 per cent. in 2001–02. Figures for 2002–03 have not yet been published.
	Across the whole of the Northern and Yorkshire region, 48 per cent. of women received the results of their test within six weeks in 2001–02.

Non-smoking Areas

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) public houses and (b) restaurants (i) are smoking free and (ii) have an area set aside for non-smokers.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carer's Allowance

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Milton Keynes are in receipt of carer's allowance.

Maria Eagle: The numbers of people entitled to Carers Allowance in Milton Keynes are set out in the table. Figures have been given for all people with an entitlement to Carers Allowance and for people with Carers Allowance in payment. Those with entitlement only, are not in receipt of payment because of overlapping benefit rules.
	
		Carers Allowance recipients in Milton Keynes
		
			 Parliamentary Constituenciesas at May 2003 Total with entitlement Those in payment 
		
		
			 Milton Keynes North East 635 495 
			 Milton Keynes South West 830 645 
		
	
	Note
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 per cent. sample
	Source:IAD Information Centre, 100 per cent. sample

Child Support Agency

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the reasons for (a) taking into consideration tax credit payments for absent parents and (b) not taking into consideration tax credit payments to the parents with care when assessing maintenance payments through the Child Support Agency.

Chris Pond: The Government has sought, as far as possible, for the rules providing for the treatment of tax credits in child support to be consistent, simple to understand and to operate fairly for (a) non-resident parents (b) parents with care. The arrangements carried forward into the new child support scheme in relation to new tax credits continue the principles first introduced under Family Credit.

Child Support Agency

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will phase in assessments under the new Child Support Agency system for those who have closed cases with continuing payment obligations under the old system.

Chris Pond: No. The phasing arrangements apply to cases which are converted directly from the old scheme to the new scheme. They do not apply to outstanding payments from cases which have previously been closed. Where a fresh application is made and there are such outstanding payments, the Child Support Agency is willing to discuss how the arrears are to be paid.

Disability Living Allowance

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the (a) cost and (b) number of beneficiaries of increasing the upper age limit on claiming disability living allowance to (i) 70, (ii) 75 and (iii) 80 years; and what take-up assumptions are made in this calculation.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Helen Clark) on 15 May 2003, Official Report, column 407–08W. The figures cannot reliably be broken down further by age groups because of the increased uncertainty of modelling entitlement from smaller sample sizes in the available survey data.

Motability Scheme

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the need for people disabled after their 65th birthday to benefit from the Motability scheme.

Maria Eagle: The Motability scheme helps severely disabled people who are physically unable, or virtually unable, to walk to obtain vehicles on favourable terms by using their payments of the Disability Living Allowance higher rate mobility component, or a War Pensioners Mobility Supplement paid by the Veterans Agency of the Ministry of Defence, to service a leasing or hire-purchase agreement.
	The vast majority of people can expect to have some restrictions on their mobility as they get older and it is reasonable to expect them to make provision for this. However, disability is more financially disruptive, in terms of lost opportunity to earn and save, for people who have the very considerable disadvantage of being severely disabled relatively early in life. This is why the Disability Living Allowance mobility component is available only to severely disabled people who claim help with their disability-related extra costs before age 65.
	The Government believe that these arrangements are fair and sensible and, in particular, that it is right to give the most help to those who are severely disabled early in life and who may face limited opportunities to work and save. We therefore have no plans to change the upper age limit for claims to Disability Living Allowance.

Specialised Vehicles Fund

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (a) how many grants and (b) how much grant was given to people aged (i) under 65 years and (ii) 65 years and over from the Specialised Disability Fund in the last 12 months; and what plans he has to enable people disabled after the age of 65 years to receive money under the fund.

Maria Eagle: There is no Specialised Disability Fund. However, the Department for Work and Pensions sponsors the Specialised Vehicles Funds and the Independent Living Funds.
	The charity Motability administers the Specialised Vehicles Funds on behalf of the Department. The funds provide grants towards the cost of specially adapted vehicles for disabled people who are eligible to apply to the Motability Scheme. The information requested is in Table 1.
	The two Independent Living Funds make cash payments directly to severely disabled people for the purchase of personal assistance or help with domestic duties to enable them to continue to live in the community. The Extension Fund is a closed fund. However, the1993 Fund, which applies to all new claims made since April 1993, makes payments to people aged 65 or under at the date of claim. The information requested is in Table 2.
	There are no plans to extend any of the funds beyond their current provision.
	
		Specialised vehicles funds—1 October 2002 to 30 September 2003 -- Table 1£ million
		
			  Aged under 65 years Aged 65 years and over 
		
		
			 Number of grants 1,110 76 
			 Total amount of grants(8) 9.0 0.4 
		
	
	(8) Rounded to the nearest £100,000
	
		Table 2£ million
		
			  Aged under 65 years Aged 65 years and over(9) 
		
		
			 Number of clients receiving grants 15,387 1,868 
			 Total amount of grants(10) 164 15 
		
	
	(9) Over age 65 calculated as at date of payment
	(10) Rounded to the nearest £ million

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what measures he is taking to ensure that affordable housing made available through planning gain is family-sized accommodation.

Keith Hill: Planning policies for affordable housing are set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 3, "Housing", and in Circular 6/98, "Planning and Affordable Housing". This sets out how local authorities should plan to meet the housing requirements of the whole community, including those in need of affordable housing and family-sized accommodation. These requirements can be met through several routes, including planning obligations.
	On 17 July, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published for consultation "Influencing the size, type and affordability of housing", which set out proposed changes to the current policies on planning for affordable housing. The aim of these updates is to improve the match between the housing planned and the needs of the community. The consultation period closes on 31 October.

Draw-down Funding

Jonathan R Shaw: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when his Department will advise Medway Council about the arrangements for drawing down the funding which he announced on 30 July.

Keith Hill: Officials from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to the Chief Executive of Medway Council, on 7 October setting out detailed arrangements on the next steps for implementing the programme of projects agreed in principle on 30 July.

English Partnerships

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the impact of English Partnerships decision to focus their resources on housing renewal pathfinder areas and large strategic projects on the regeneration of Luneside East, Lancaster;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the impact on the Government's regeneration and anti-poverty strategies of English Partnership's decision to focus their resources on house renewal pathfinder areas and large strategic projects;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with English Partnerships about their decision to focus their resources on housing renewal pathfinder areas and large strategic projects.

Keith Hill: I understand that my Hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Wyre recently met the Chief Executive of English Partnerships, along with representatives of Lancaster City Council and the North West Development Agency, to discuss regeneration needs in both Lancaster and Morecambe. English Partnerships is committed to helping the Council secure the regeneration of the most deprived parts of the City. At the Luneside site, the public sector partners will now be working together to draw up revised plans encompassing the acquisition and remediation of the site, and considering at the same time how private sector developers can be drawn into the equation, so that the development strategy can take their aspirations into account. In addition, EP has agreed to fund an initial study focussed on the needs of the West End of Morecambe. It would also be prepared in principle to work with the City Council in supporting a local management team whose aim would be to renew the area through the demolition or upgrading of derelict and vacant housing.

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria were used to allocate the recent Neighbourhood Renewal Fund monies to local authorities with high levels of deprivation.

Yvette Cooper: The residual Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources of £175 million will be allocated to 26 of the existing 88 local authority areas currently receiving NRF resources. These 26 areas have been selected because they are ranked in the lowest 10 areas against two or more indicators that act as a proxy for the achievement of key national floor targets, i.e. they have the furthest distance to travel in order to meet these floor targets. The eligible areas are listed as follows with their allocations for 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	
		Allocations of residual neighbourhood renewal fund (NRF) resources for 2004–05 and 2005–06 -- £
		
			 Current NRF recipients alsoeligible for residual NRF 2004–05 Allocation 2005–06 Allocation 
		
		
			 Bolsover 417,624 1,044,060 
			 Bristol, City of 1,013,689 2,534,224 
			 Camden 1,199,468 2,998,670 
			 Derwentside 421,456 1,053,639 
			 Easington 1,260,484 3,151,209 
			 Greenwich 1,103,589 2,758,972 
			 Hackney 3,345,184 8,362,959 
			 Halton 1,116,940 2,792,350 
			 Haringey 1,516,814 3,792,035 
			 Hartlepool 892,071 2,230,177 
			 Islington 1,782,715 4,456,788 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 2,134,495 5,336,238 
			 Knowsley 2,101,419 5,253,547 
			 Lambeth 688,542 1,721,356 
			 Liverpool 5,724,205 14,310,513 
			 Manchester 5,855,669 14,639,173 
			 Middlesbrough 1,492,501 3,731,252 
			 Newham 3,790,592 9,476,480 
			 Nottingham 2,628,822 6,572,056 
			 Salford 1,546,952 3,867,381 
			 Sandwell 2,288,967 5,722,418 
			 South Tyneside 1,530,285 3,825,713 
			 Southwark 2,249,671 5,624,176 
			 Tower Hamlets 3,020,552 7,551,380 
			 Wansbeck 392,176 980,441 
			 Wear Valley 485,117 1,212,793 
			 Total 50,000,000 125,000,000

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister by what criteria the Borough of Redcar and Cleveland was excluded from the new allocation of monies from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.

Yvette Cooper: The Borough of Redcar and Cleveland is not among those 26 of the existing 88 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) areas that will receive allocations from the residual NRF resources of £175 million for 2004–05 and 2005–06. This is because Redcar and Cleveland is not ranked in the lowest 10 areas against two or more indicators that act as a proxy for the achievement of key national floor targets, i.e. the Borough is not one of the 26 areas that have the furthest distance to travel to meet these floor targets and tackle multiple deprivation.

Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when there will next be an allocation of funds from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to local authorities with high levels of deprivation.

Yvette Cooper: The £175 million of residual Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources announced on 16 September 2003 is the final part of the £975 million provided for by Spending Review 2002 (SR2002) for 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	The provision of any new funding will be a matter for consideration as part of Spending Review 2004 (SR2004).

Regeneration (Liverpool)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding was allocated for regeneration in Liverpool in each of the last six years; and how much funding he expects will be allocated in the 2003–04 financial year.

Yvette Cooper: Liverpool has received funding allocations from the following regeneration programmes (all sums rounded to £000).
	
		
			 Project 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Single Regeneration Budget 8,424 12,786 15,480 12,692 13,500 2,271 848 
			 Community Empowerment Fund 0 0 0 0 261 261 261 
			 Community Chest 0 0 0 0 332 499 917 
			 Community Learning Chest 0 0 0 0 0 133 199 
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 0 0 0 0 10,100 15,100 20,134 
			 Neighbourhood Wardens 0 0 0 57 127 457 451 
			 Estates Renewal Challenge Fund 3,800 7,784 23,828 17,960 0 0 0 
			 ERDF 42,502 31,396 65,406 0 24,080 29,678 0 
			 New Deal for Communities 0 50 200 1,062 4,171 5,668 5,014 
			 Housing Action Trust 20,800 25,000 21,500 17,800 20,600 33,310 33,150 
		
	
	Note:European Regional Development Fund, the funding allocation is calculated by calendar year, figures for 2003–04 are not available.
	Liverpool has also benefited during this period from City Challenge as well as the Estate Action and Merseyside Development Corporation programmes. It has not been possible to obtain information for these programmes in the available time.

Social Housing

Harold Best: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps the Government is taking to assist in increasing the provision of social housing in Leeds North West.

Keith Hill: The Sustainable Communities plan, published earlier this year, set out our plans for increasing investment in housing up to 2005–06. It also identified the actions that we will take to improve the availability and quality of social housing, including the establishment of Regional Housing Boards with responsibility for the production of Regional Housing Strategies and to advise Ministers on the allocation of resources to meet regional priorities.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently considering the Regional Housing Strategy for Yorkshire and the Humber, and its accompanying Investment Framework, and hope to make an announcement later this month. The provision of sufficient new homes, creating mixed income and sustainable communities is one of its objectives. This is reflected in the Investment Framework, which in addition to meeting Housing Corporation commitments and pre-allocations, proposes commissioning a £51 million two-year programme from the Housing Corporation, in which one of the priorities is affordable housing in the 'Golden Triangle' of Leeds, Harrogate and York. There is also a further £10 million for the board to commission 'transformational proposals' relating to all the strategy priorities in 2005–06 from sub-regional partnerships.

Teacher Salaries

Michael Foster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last assessed the level of teacher salaries paid by local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I have been asked to reply.
	The salaries of school teachers, including those of unattached teachers, are set in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document, following the recommendations of the independent School Teachers' Review Body (STRB). It is for LEAs to determine which provisions of the document should apply to unattached teachers. The STRB is currently considering a range of evidence on unattached teachers.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Small Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to reduce regulatory burdens on small businesses.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 14 October 2003
	The number of regulations passed by Parliament has fallen by nearly 800, we have cut form-filling and red tape for 700,000 small businesses with the new flat rate VAT scheme; we have abolished automatic penalties for late filing of VAT and we now have the best VAT threshold in Europe for business.
	The recent OECD review of EU countries shows the UK has almost the lowest administration cost and few regulations for entrepreneurs than any other EU country.
	We are seeking further improvements through Regulatory Impact Assessments, 'Think Small First' and Small Business Europe which promotes better regulation.

Alsthom

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has made to the (a) French authorities and (b) European Commission on French state aids in the case of Alsthom.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 14 October 2003
	None. The European Commission has announced that it is launching a formal investigation into France's proposals. The Commission will in due course provide member states arid third parties with an opportunity to comment. We will consider the position further when the Commission has published full details.

Coal-fired Power Stations

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry at what load factor each coal-fired power station operated in each year from 1997 to 2003.

Stephen Timms: Information for each power station is not readily available. In total coal fired power stations in the United Kingdom owned by major power producers together operated at the following load factors:
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1997 48.8 
			 1998 50.6 
			 1999 43.8 
			 2000 50.8 
			 2001 55.9 
			 2002 55.9 
		
	
	Source:
	Calculated from figures given in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics 2003

Customs and Excise

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been recovered by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise over the last six years for the costs associated with seizing and storing imported goods for inspection (a) from importers subsequently found to be legitimately importing genuine goods and (b) from businesses which are subsequently found to be importing counterfeit and illegal goods.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply. 
	Customs have not recovered any money in either case. However, the relevant port authorities may levy such charges.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much debt owing to the UK has been written-off by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in the last five years; and if she will list the countries for which the written-off debt was due, and the amounts written off for each country.

Mike O'Brien: During the period from 1 April 1998 to 31 August 2003, ECGD has written off a total of £848 million debt. The amounts written off are broken down by financial year and by market in the following table.
	
		Amounts written off by ECGD last five financial years plus current financial year to 31 August 2003 -- £
		
			 Market 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 Total 
		
		
			 Bolivia 6,160,137 0 0 11,671,383 0 0 17,831,520 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,021,121 0 0 0 0 0 3,021,121 
			 Burkina Faso 0 0 0 0 1,851,737 0 1,851,737 
			 Cameroon 5,189,345 6,046,275 7,387,463 8,761,599 8,202,179 3,542,446 39,129,307 
			 Central African Republic 172,072 28,157 27,651 13,429 0 0 241 ,309 
			 Côte d'Ivoire 2,445,306 0 0 0 9,873,984 553,721 12,873,011 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 0 0 0 0 113,037,774 947,807 113,985,581 
			 Ethiopia 0 287,854 532,481 213,245 125,638 66,185 1,225,403 
			 Ghana 0 0 0 0 27,496,319 3,703,403 31,199,722 
			 Guinea 0 0 707,668 1,106,413 772,224 255,998 2,842,303 
			 Guyana 0 11,915,740 0 0 0 0 11,915,740 
			 Madagascar 0 0 523,114 1,254,431 1,126,626 219,756 3,123,927 
			 Malawi 0 0 0 90,920 84,559 40,543 216,022 
			 Mali 0 0 0 0 4,215,974 0 4,215,974 
			 Mauritania 54,307 763,553 545,964 523,831 5,305,546 0 7,193,201 
			 Mozambique 5,692,529 13,484,210 0 71,538,564 0 0 90,715,303 
			 Nicaragua 0 0 0 156,212 105,515 23,812 285,539 
			 Niger 386,665 192,552 1,170,852 1,203,292 1,084,263 532,403 4,570,027 
			 Senegal 1,528,862 0 26,253 39,523 48,681 28,049 1,671,368 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 0 0 0 270,067,645 0 0 270,067,645 
			 Sierra Leone 0 0 0 225,022 44,805 6,275 276,102 
			 Tanzania 5,126,063 4,477,751 17,525,512 92,700,686 19,167 0 119,849,179 
			 Togo 81,421 0 0 0 0 0 81,421 
			 Uganda 0 0 5,724,537 0 0 0 5,724,537 
			 Zambia 0 21,863,232 16,790,093 28,654,900 27,384,399 9,518,120 104,210,744 
			 
			 Totals 29,857,828 59,059,324 50,961,588 488,221,095 200,779,390 19,438,518 848,317,743 
		
	
	All of the recipients of the debt reduction, with the exception of Serbia and Montenegro, have received the debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative.

Everything But Arms Agreement

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 September 2003, question ref 130694, what plans she has to make an assessment of the impact of the Everything But Arms agreement on the number of people who have lived or are predicted to live on $1 a day between 1990 and 2015 in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mike O'Brien: Since the Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement came into effect in February 2001, there has been a rise in exports from countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This increase in export opportunities should help the growth of these countries and lead to a reduction in poverty. It is however, difficult to quantify the actual effect EBA will have on poverty, given the many factors that can influence changes in poverty levels.

Modern Languages

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 25 September 2003, question number 130710, what her plans are to commission specific research on the commercial effects of the decline in uptake of modern languages; and what representations she has received on this subject from United Kingdom businesses with foreign market interests.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI do not at present have any plans to commission specific research on the commercial effects of a decline in the uptake of modern languages; and we have received no formal representations from business on this matter. The DfES are working with a range of partners, including ourselves, the Sector Skills Development Agency and the Learning Skills Council to monitor this issue and to develop strategies to deal with it should it appear to become a significant problem.

TREASURY

Census 2001

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions the Office for National Statistics has had with (a) the local authority and (b) the Primary Care Trust in Milton Keynes on the reliability of the 2001 Census results for Milton Keynes.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Phyllis Starkey, dated 15 October 2003
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking about what discussions the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has had with (a) the local authority and (b) the Primary Care Trust in Milton Keynes on the reliability of the 2001 Census results for Milton Keynes. (132172)
	To date we have not had any face to face discussions with Milton Keynes Council or the Primary Care Trust concerning the results for Milton Keynes, but during the period 9 May to 16 September there has been extensive correspondence with these organisations. We have also corresponded with the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority.
	In our detailed responses we have covered all the points raised and we have also explained that a further analysis suggested by Milton Keynes local authority would be considered in the work that ONS is planning to take forward following the review report "A demographic statistics service for the 21sl Century" published on 9 July.
	ONS are willing to meet representatives from Milton Keynes Council and the Primary Care Trust to discuss their concerns and explain the One Number Census methodology to aid their understanding of how their Census estimates were derived.

Cigarettes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of (a) the scale of tobacco smuggling into Britain and (b) the success of the law enforcement agencies in tackling it; what plans he has for further measures to tackle tobacco smuggling; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Estimates of the scale of tobacco smuggling into the UK, and details of the successful strategy being applied to combat it are contained in "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling" (March 2000), "Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud" (November 2001) and "Protecting Indirect Tax Fraud" (November 2002), copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
	Details of progress in 2002–03 will be reported around the time of the pre Budget Report.

Employment Statistics

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were unemployed in Haltemprice and Howden in (a) the last month for which figures are available and (b) each of the preceding 12 months.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to David Davis, dated 15 October 2003
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question regarding the number of people who were unemployed in Haltemprice and Howden in the last month for which figures are available and each of the preceding 12 months. (132327)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition. However the survey sample size is too small to provide estimates for the Haltemprice & Howden Parliamentary Constituency. ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for Parliamentary Constituencies.
	Attached is a table which gives the number of JSA claimants in the Haltemprice and Howden Parliamentary Constituency for the period August 2002 to August 2003. The data are not seasonally adjusted. Claimant count statistics for September 2003 will be released on the 15th October 2003.
	
		Number of JSA claimants in Haltemprice & Howden Parliamentary Constituency
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2002  
			 August 796 
			 September 768 
			 October 757 
			 November 753 
			 December 740 
			   
			 2003  
			 January 799 
			 February 797 
			 March 784 
			 April 745 
			 May 751 
			 June 741 
			 July 755 
			 August 754

Firearms

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 14 July 2003, Official Report, column 133W, how many firearms were detected by HM customs officers in the possession of passengers disembarking from aircraft at Farnborough, Hampshire (a) in 1999, (b) in November 1999 and (c) on 30 November 1999.

John Healey: There were no attempts to smuggle firearms detected by Customs at Farnborough Airport in 1999. In the same year Customs controlled four importations of firearms which were properly declared. In respect of these I refer the hon. Gentleman to my earlier answer.

Inland Revenue Officers

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the destination offices were of Inland Revenue officers posted from International Division, Business Tax Group, in the year ended 31 March 2001.

Dawn Primarolo: Between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001, 11 Inland Revenue employees were transferred from International Division to a variety of other business units, including other Head Office Divisions and local offices.

Investment Fund

David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the implications of the Futurebuilders Investment Fund for voluntary organisations.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 14 October 2003
	The Futurebuilders Fund will provide resources for voluntary and community organisations and social enterprises in England, to increase the scale and scope of their delivery of public services. It will enable individual organisations to invest for the future, through modernising their operations and undertaking research and development. Most importantly, it will lead to improved services for users and show how that success can be replicated.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) foreign and (b) UK visits made by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury since 1 April 2003; what the cost was to public funds of each trip; who he met; and what gifts were received.

Paul Boateng: The Government publish the overall costs of all Ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits overseas by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500 on an annual basis. For the period up to 31 March 2003 I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington on 16 July 2003, Official Report, column 327W. The next list, for the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004, will be published at the end of the financial year.
	In respect of gifts received, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 445W.
	In the UK: the Chief Secretary visited Oxford University in April at no cost; the Baptist Assembly, Cardiff in May at no cost; Social Services, Cambridge in May at no cost; Cambridge University in May at no cost; ICSB World Conference, Northern Ireland in June at a cost of £262.30; CPYU Ministerial Listening Tour, Bristol in June at a cost of £145.00; Festival of Science, Leicester in June at no cost; Sieff Conference, Windsor in September at no cost; Council Congress Dinner, Brighton in September at a cost of £21.10; and the Pensions and Savings Summit, Edinburgh in September at a cost of £318.90.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Motability Scheme

Simon Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cars receive road tax exemption through the Motability scheme; how much this exemption costs; what the financial value is of this exemption; how many of the exempted cars are registered to people aged 65 years and over; what plans he has to extend the exemptions to adapted cars brought by people disabled after their 65th birthday; and if he will estimate the cost of extending the exemptions.

John Healey: This exemption cost the Exchequer an estimated £111 million in 2001–02.
	At the end of September 2003 there were 371,000 agreements for Motability cars (either contract hire or hire purchase). 26 per cent. of these were in the 65+ age group.
	The Chancellor keeps all taxation policy under review and any changes are announced in the context of his Budget statement after considering relevant economic, social and environmental factors.

Pricing and Dissemination Policies

Helen Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the extent to which the recommendations of the Cross-Cutting Review of the Knowledge Economy published in December 2000 have been implemented; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to implement Recommendation 15 of the Cross-Cutting Review of the Knowledge Economy published in December 2000; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations he has received on the economics of information pricing within the public sector.

John Healey: Recommendations relating to the pricing and dissemination policies of Government Departments, agencies and trading funds have been implemented via the application of the following new policy guidance from HM Treasury to public bodies:
	Selling into Wider Markets: A Policy Note for Public Bodies, December 2002; and
	Charging for Information: When and How—Guidance for Government Departments and other Crown bodies, July 2001.
	Recommendations relating to the development of a new class licence for facilitating the re-use of Crown copyright material with the minimum of administration have been implemented and the Click-Use Licence was launched in April 2001. The Government consulted on an enhanced role for Her Majesty's Stationery Office as the regulatory authority for Government information, working closely with the private sector, and subsequently a new Information Fair Trader Scheme was launched last year. The first accreditation of a trading fund member of the Scheme was announced in May 2003.
	The new Advisory Panel on Crown Copyright, a non-departmental public body, was established on 14 April 2003 by the Cabinet Office. Its role is:
	to advise Ministers on how to encourage and create opportunities in the information industry for greater re-use of Government information;
	to advise the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office about changes and opportunities in the information industry, so that the licensing of Crown copyright information is aligned with current and emerging developments; and
	to advise on the impact of the complaints procedures under the Information Fair Trader Scheme.